Ultrawideband, high-power, microstripline test setup for experimental study and characterization of multipactor

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Electrical Engineering
• Plasma Science

Background:

• Multipactor discharge is a significant challenge in high-power radio frequency (RF) devices.
• Replicating multipactor in a controlled laboratory setting is crucial for understanding and mitigating its effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and validate a flexible, high-power test setup for laboratory replication of multipactor discharges.
• To enable broadband testing of multipactor phenomena from DC to 1.2 GHz.

Main Methods:

• Development of a broadband test cell with a coaxial-to-microstripline transition for high-power experiments.
• Incorporation of adjustable and replaceable multipactor sections for varied test conditions.
• Implementation of electron multiplier tubes and biased probes for multipactor detection, with RF filtering circuits.

Main Results:

• The test setup successfully operates from DC to 1.2 GHz, facilitating broadband multipactor studies.
• Experimental validation showed excellent agreement with 3D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations for multipactor thresholds.
• The detection methods reliably identified secondary electron growth with minimal RF interference.

Conclusions:

• The developed test setup is a valuable tool for studying multipactor discharges across a broad frequency range.
• The design addresses key challenges in creating bench-top multipactor test environments.
• This research provides insights for designing and optimizing future high-power RF systems susceptible to multipactor.